Compressed fabric material with carrying bag

ABSTRACT

A compressed piece of fabric with a plastic carrying bag included therein is disclosed. The piece of fabric when wetted releases the plastic carrying bag which may then be used for storage of the wetted fabric until it is next desired to use the same.

United States Patent [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS [72] Inventor AugustL.Franke 915 W. Front Road, Plainfield, NJ. 07060 M, 63.2, 83.5; 128/290 R to use the same.

PATENTEUUCI 19 mn 'Mmmm ATTORNEYS COMPRESSED FABRIC MATERIAL WITH CARRYING BAG The present invention relates to the packaging of fabric materials which are to be wetted and which include a carrying bag in the package. Typically the invention is useful for washcloths.

lt has previously been known that washcloths can be packaged in a highly compressed state such that the surface fibers are welded together in a continuous hard shell covering which serves as the package itself. These facecloths are particularly well suited for travelers because of their compact size. To use the facecloth, it is dipped into water at which point it opens and swells into normal size. This is all described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,689,642.

Although the thus packaged washcloth has great advantage, it has been found that most people desire to use the washcloth more than once and that they therefore wish to carry it from place to place. Travelers, however, usually do not have time to dry a facecloth and therefore a carrying envelope is usually provided with the compact facecloth. While this carrying envelope serves the purpose of keeping the damp facecloth from moistening the travelers other goods, it detracts from the advantage of the compacted facecloth since it is additional bulk which must be carried. While this bulk is not great, it must be remembered that persons who are ltraveling are extremely limited in storage area and try to avoid even the slightest bit of excess bulk. Additionally, only one large carrying envelope is provided for three of four washcloths and this has disadvantage since (a) only one facecloth will fit easily into each compartment of the carrying envelope and (b) if the envelope is misplaced while carrying the first facecloth, there is no means to carry the others.

There has now been discovered a method of incorporating a carrying bag within the confines of the compressed washcloth without materially increasing the size of the compressed facecloth thereby forming a complete travel kit in and of itself. The carrying bag is made of a relatively thin plastic material which is flexible and which is deformed under the heat and pressure which is used to compress the facecloth. The facecloth used is one which has a rough fibrous surface. When the plastic bag is folded inside the washcloth it will be deformed and permanently set by the rough fibrous surface when the combination is compressed under heat and pressure. This deformation of the plastic carrying bag is highly desirable from the consumer point of view since it provides the plastic bag with a crinkled surface of pleasing appearance.

ln carrying out the preferred process of the present invention, a standard facecloth is first dampened uniformly and is then folded in half. The plastic carrying bag is folded to a size less than one-half of the original width of the facecloth and is placed on the folded facecloth within the confines of its borders. The facecloth is then folded in half again to form a strip one-quarter the width of the original cloth. The facecloth is folded transversely and then rolled up into a cylinder. The cylinder is placed in a mold and is subjected to heat and pressure until the individual fibers at the surface of the facecloth are welded together to form a hard shell in the shape of a cylinder. lt is important that the bag be placed inside two layers of the cloth and not be laid out on the facecloth before it is first folded. The reason for this is that the plastic bag has a tendency to melt under the heat and pressure in the mold unless it is protected by two layers of facecloth. lt is, of course, possible to protect the plastic bag by only one layer of facecloth if only very little heat is used but this is generally impractical because of the increased pressure which is then required to form the compressed facecloth.

The plastic bag of the present invention may be made out of any material which is flexible and deformable at relatively low temperatures and pressures. Itis, of course, necessary that the material remain continuous upon deformation. Generally speaking, resilient materials are unsuitable since they do not stay deformed when pressure is removed and thus do not have an opalescent effect in use. Suitable plastics for the carrying bag include thermoplastics such as polyethylene,

polypropylene, polyallomers, polyvinyl chloride, styrene, butadiene-sytrene copolymers and other materials which have the characteristics outlined hereinbefore. The thickness of the carrying bag is not critical. How thin it may be depends upon the particular plastic used and is based on tensile strength. The tensile strength must be such that it will not break under normal use. The thickness of the plastic is controlled by its deformation characteristics. The thickness is also limited by the practical aspects that it is desired to keep the compressed facecloth with the carrying bag included at minimum size. ln general, plastic bags with a wall thickness ranging from l-l0 mils are suitable for the practice of the present invention and 2-3 gauge thicknesses are preferred. The plastic may be clear or it may be colored as desired. We prefer to use a clear plastic because of the opalescent effect of the crinkled plastic due to the transparency of the plastic which permits the opalescence of both sheets of plastic to be seen from one side.

FIG. l is a perspective view'of an ordinary cotton facecloth folded in half with a plastic bag within its confines.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same cloth folded in half again to form a strip one-quarter the width of the original cloth.

FIG. 3 shows the strip of FIG. 2 rolled up.

FIG. 4 shows the final product.

In the preferred form of the invention shown, facecloth l0 is first dampened as by spraying with water, perfume or the like and is then folded upon itself along axis l2. A plastic bag I4 is placed within the confines of the folded facecloth 10. ln this case the carrying bag was prepared from two sheets of three gauge polyvinyl chloride sheets which were heat sealed on three sides to form a watertight bag open at one end. It is important that the plastic carrying bag be within the confines of the facecloth so that it is not melted in the subsequent compressing step.

FlG. 2 shows facecloth 10 folded upon itself along axis l5 to form a strip which is one-quarter the width of the original facecloth. The plastic bag 14 shown by the dotted lines is between two layers of fabric 16, 18 and 20, 22 on either side so that it is protected from the heat during the compressing step.

FIG. 3 shows the facecloth l0 of FIG. 2 folded transversely and rolled up upon itself. The plastic bag 14 is protected by two layers of fabric 20 and 22. The rolled-up device is then compressed in known manner in a compression cylinder to form a compact package with the exterior fibers of one fabric welded together to form a hard shell 24 as shown in FlG. 4. Heat and pressure are supplied in the compression cylinder to weld the exterior fibers and also to deform the plastic carrying bag to give it an opalescent appearance. Preferred temperatures vary according to the material used but are generally in the range from about F. to 180 F. with pressures from about 1,250 to 2,200 p.s.i. ln the case of the three gauge vinyl, we prefer to heat the mold and piston of the compression cylinder to approximately 140 F. at 2,000 p.s.i. and to hold the facecloth in the compression cylinder for about 7 seconds.

When it is desired to use the facecloth, it is immersed in water. The washcloth swells up and unfolds in the water and releases the carrying bag. The carrying bag is removed from th'e water and can then be used for storage of the wet facecloth. Because the carrying bag is nonabsorbent, it quickly air dries on the outside. lt makes no difference if it is wet on the inside since that part is not exposed to the travelers other luggage. However, we have found that the two sheets of plastic tend to stick to each other thereby maintaining the inside of the bag in a dry state. Because of this, if it is desired to have a completely dry exterior of the bag without waiting for the exterior to air dry, it is possible to turn the bag inside out such that the dry interior surface becomes the dry exterior surface and the wet exterior surface is on the inside.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with a washcloth, it will be appreciated that it is intended to include other cloth goods which are wetted and where it is advantageous to have a carrying bag such as dishcloths, cleaning rags and the like.

lt will be understood that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the preferred embodiments of our invention herein chosen for the purpose of illustration which do not depart from the spirit and scope of our invention.

What is claimed is:

l. In a package of fabric material formed from a piece of dampened fabric with a rough fibrous surface said material being folded in half and folded in half again to form a strip one-quarter the size of the original fabric material and rolled up upon itself and in which the surface fibers are welded together by heat and pressure to form a hard outer shell, the improvement which comprises a plastic bag positioned within the confines of the compressed fabric material but separated from the surface of the package by at least two layers of fabric.

2. The compressed package of claim l wherein the plastic bag has a permanently deformed crinkled surface.

3. The compressed package of claim 2 wherein the wall of the plastic bag has a thickness of approximately three gauge and in which the compressed package is formed at a temperature of from about F. to about 180F. and at a pressure of from 1,250 p.s.i. to about 2,200 p.s.i.

4. The compressed package of claim l wherein the plastic bag is polyethylene.

5. The compressed package of claim 2 wherein the fabric material is a washcloth.

6. The compressed package of claim l wherein the plastic bag is polyvinyl chloride.

7. The compressed package of claim l wherein the fabric material is folded transversely before it is rolled up upon itself. 

1. In a package of fabric material formed from a piece of dampened fabric with a rough fibrous surface said material being folded in half and folded in half again to form a strip onequarter the size of the original fabric material and rolled up upon itself and in which the surface fibers are welded together by heat and pressure to form a hard outer shell, the improvement which comprises a plastic bag positioned within the confines of the compressed fabric material but separated from the surface of the package by at least two layers of fabric.
 2. The compressed package of claim 1 wherein the plastic bag has a permanently deformed crinkled surface.
 3. The compressed package of claim 2 wherein the wall of the plastic bag has a thickness of approximately three gauge and in which the compressed package is formed at a temperature of from about 140*F. to about 180*F. and at a pressure of from 1,250 p.s.i. to about 2,200 p.s.i.
 4. The compressed package of claim 1 wherein the plastic bag is polyethylene.
 5. The compressed package of claim 2 wherein the fabric material is a washcloth.
 6. The compressed package of claim 1 wherein the plastic bag is polyvinyl chloride.
 7. The compressed package of claim 1 wherein the fabric material is folded transversely before it is rolled up upon itself. 